Effective Marketing in Non-Partisan Campaigns
Politics today are more polarizing than ever before, no matter if this refers to an election on a national scale, or a local, municipal election. Seemingly every political race remains filled with candidates with support from multiple different parties. Unfortunately, this also means that it can prove quite difficult for the most quality candidate to set themselves apart, even in non-partisan campaigns.
Nonetheless, with quality branding, this can help a political candidate further their efforts as a powerful tool in both communication, as well as persuasion. These serve as crucial components of any political strategy in any political campaign.
Any candidate in a political campaign needs to work to connect with voters through a variety of digital marketing channels. Digital marketing makes it easier to reach a targeted audience while also committing a fraction of the cost related to traditional marketing. For anyone considering a run for office, Reach Voters is offering you some of our favorite and some of our not-so-favorite branding tactics in non-partisan campaigns.
Choose the Right Branding Platform
No matter the face this individual chooses to project to the world, they must treat their campaign as a brand platform. This involves carefully monitoring social media messages, organizing their message, and response. What this means is following a script with a controlled, formulated message for every tweet, post, blog, or other content.
Utilizing the campaign itself as a branding platform can help a candidate ensure that they provide a uniform message. Branding in this way focuses attention on the proper stance or message regarding the issues at hand. Although non-partisan campaigns don’t involve traditional party politics, the right message (in addition to the delivery of this message) is essential to success.
Avoid the “Oops” Content
See also “Political Marketing: How To Survive Social Media”
Although President Donald Trump chose to embrace his outspoken nature, making waves in the 2016 National Election, this isn’t the ideal solution for most candidates. In fact, despite seemingly errant Twitter rants, it remains likely that this messaging still resides in a place born out of an orchestrated brand strategy.
Similarly, Barack Obama shook the world in his innovative 2008 and 2012 campaigns as one of the first political candidates to rely heavily on social media for voter outreach.
Posting on social media and dispersing other content that deviates from a strategized branding initiative can prove devastating. Errant tweets can represent a public relations nightmare. Even worse, social media misuse can even end a campaign entirely.
Fully Establish a Brand Vision
Political candidates must develop and integrate a well-thought plan that outlines goals, tactics, and strategies before beginning a political campaign. A firm plan mitigates the potential for errors while making it extremely difficult for team members to make mistakes.
Non-partisan campaigns still impart notable risks for candidates and their teams inherent to the modern digital marketing age. For this reason, campaign teams must remain agile and adaptable, understanding precisely how they want to reach potential voters without compromising the overall brand image.
Don’t Cross Political and Personal
Once a candidate establishes that their campaign additionally acts as a brand platform, they must also ensure that their entire team adheres to a set of strict guidelines that they outline within the campaign strategy.
The vast number of eyes on any political campaign through digital media imparts a notable amount of risks inherent to utilizing social media and other digital marketing tools. Digital technology boosts the competition in non-partisan campaigns that otherwise remain alleviated from traditional party politics.
Implementing Contingencies
It is important to remember that a campaign team will be comprised of human individuals. As such, the campaign will probably face some errors during its course. Candidates must outline and establish contingency plans if an accident takes place.
Most importantly, a political campaign empowers the right individuals to make necessary decisions for better or worse when an emergency occurs. What happens when a team member is not empowered to approve the right communications when a difficult situation arises? It is up to the candidate to determine and approve these representatives amongst their supporters.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Non-Partisan Campaigns with Reach Voters
Digital marketing permeates so many facets of our modern existence. It is a virtually inescapable component in any campaign branding strategy. By doing things right and implementing the right strategies, this helps constituents connect with each other and with the candidates they follow.
Unfortunately, this landscape can also be quite dangerous. To navigate these waters successfully, political candidates must establish their voice, implement the right rules, and develop contingencies for when the unforeseen takes place.
To learn more about campaigning and running in non-partisan campaigns, Reach Voters has the information to help you. Get in touch with Reach Voters for more information today!
- “Importance of Digital Marketing for Political Campaign ….” https://www.geekschip.com/blog/digital-marketing-for-political-campaign. Accessed 30 Apr. 2020.
